Stupid Job
by Anime lover9786
Summary: Natsu lets Lucy pick a job, but when he reads it there's absolutely no excitement or action in it! As Natsu lashes out, Lucy feels more and more insulted. Why does Lucy want to go so badly? It's just a Stupid Job right?


"LUCY! Let's do a job!" Natsu shouted interrupting Lucy's peaceful day. Ordinarily she would turned him down but she was running low money and her rent was do soon...

"Okay...but I get to pick the job!" She responded. Lucy stood at the request board searching for something good, when she found something that really caught her eye. She was really excited to go on a job now. "Natsu! I found a good one!"

Natsu rushed over to her, excited to see what she picked, expecting plenty of action and danger...but of course he was wrong.

**I am hosting a ball for my daughter Princess Akari. I would like to ask for your **

**assistance in keeping the event under control. The ball will take place in one week. **

** Your reward will be 1,000,000 Jewels. Thank you.**

"What the heck Lucy! This job is so stupid! Where's the action? The danger! This is gonna be so boring!"

"It's not stupid! And it'll be fun! Maybe we'll even get a chance to dance too!"

"DANCING!? No way! The only danger here is of me dying of boredom!"

"Well you don't have to make fun of me!"

"Who's making fun of you?! I'm just saying you don't have any taste in picking jobs!"

"Well you said I could pick the job so we're doing it!" And with that Lucy snatched the job from his hands and turned it in to Mira so she could approve it. Natsu continued to try and talk her out of it but it only resulted in her storming out of the guild in anger.

The next day, Natsu met up with Lucy in the guild's backyard for dancing lessons.

"You're late." Lucy scolded.

"Why are you trying to teach me how to dance? We're just gonna be apart of the staff." Natsu grunted.

"We have to dance! I'm sure we'll find time..." Lucy put her hand in Natsu and lead his hand to her waist. She started to move to the music but she stopped noticing how far away Natsu was standing.

"What are you doing? Come closer silly!" Lucy pulled him against her, but he just slipped out of her grip and backed away again.

"Do we have to stand so close? It's weird..." Natsu said with a red face. Too bad Lucy didn't notice. He actually didn't really mind having Lucy that close him, he liked it. He liked being alone with her, and when they really close, it was like they were in their own little world. But when they were close he started getting weird thoughts like kissing her, and even he knew that wasn't something you're supposed to feel for a friend. Then he'd wonder if she felt the same way he did and get all confused...

"What's wrong with standing close to me?"

"Nothing! It's just...new."

"Well you'll have to get used to it if you wanna go to the ball."

"But I don't wanna go to the ball..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Although Natsu felt slightly uncomfortable, he was enjoying his time with Lucy. But he couldn't figure out why she wanted to go on this mission so bad. Most princesses they meant were pretty snobby, and so were the people they knew. And given Lucy's past, there was nothing she hated more than conceded people. Sure she loved dancing but this was too similar to her life at the Heartfilia Cozern. Curious, Natsu decided to bring it up. In the most negative way possible of course.

"So why exactly do you want to go on this idiotic mission anyways?" Natsu blurted out.

"What?! Why do you keep on calling this a stupid mission? Do ever stop to consider my feelings?"

"Well apparently you don't! You're always yelling at me and treating me like a kid!"

"I yell at you all the time 'cause you're always doing something wrong! And I wouldn't treat you like a kid all the time if you didn't act like one!"

"Oh really? I'm the one whose always doing something wrong?! This job is something wrong!"

"Well I hate every job you pick, but I never say anything about it!" Lucy was pretty close to tears at this point. Didn't Natsu see how important this was to her?

"You're the worst partner ever!" Her comment actually took a pretty bad jab to the heart. Natsu loved going on jobs with her...to hear that she hated all of them was just heartbreaking. He couldn't stand being there any longer. He stormed into the guild, heading for the front doors, Lucy trailing him from a distance trying her beat to keep up.

"I Hate you Natsu Dragneel!" Lucy shouted, making sure he'd hear it. He stopped right in his tracks for a few moments, but he continued to walk. Jogging even.

"Lucy?!"

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

"Hey! Don't say that!" Came the guild's cluttered response. Lucy was completely bombarded with questions. With one after another coming at her she couldn't keep up. Oh how she hated those voices right now!

"Why don't you all just mind your business!" A loud gasp was heard from the guild. Lucy hadn't meant to be mean to her fellow guild members nor Natsu...but he just gets her so mad!

Embarrassed, she ran out the guild heading straight home. Much to her surprise, she found a depressed Natsu spiraled onto her bed.

"Natsu?"

"I'll go..."

"No wait!" Lucy grabbed his scarf and pulled down from the window pane.

"I wanna say sorry for earlier today... None of it was true, I may not have liked some of your jobs at first but you always make them fun! And I could never hate you!"

"Really? Well I'm really sorry too! I should have thought about your feelings and stopped calling the mission stupid."

"Friends?"

"Friends...uh, Yeah! Of course we're friends!...Just friends."

"Natsu, I have a confession to make..."

"Really?!" Natsu shouted a bit overly excited. _'This is it!'_ He thought drifting off into his own fantasy of her.

"I wanted to go on the job because...because the 'Heartfilia Ball' is coming up soon, and now that my parents are gone...I'll never get to go..."

"I love y-wait, what?"

"My mother always used to talk about how important it is and how special her's was. She said it was on par with her wedding...maybe even better."

"What's the 'Heartfilia Ball' for?"

"It celebrates me becoming a woman...I guess I'll never be a woman though...just an orphan..."

"Lucy, I-I'm really sorry!" Natsu quickly rushed out the window, regretting his behavior when she'd been going through such an emotional roller coaster.

Meanwhile, Lucy when back to the guild to apologize. Of course it didn't take much to get them to forgive her.

_'I really shouldn't make Natsu do the job. It's not like he'll enjoy it...and it probably won't be anything like the Heartfilia Ball...'_

"Hey Mira, can you cancel the job Natsu and I set up a week ago for me?" Lucy asked.

"You mean the one with Princess Akari's ball?" Mira responded.

"Yeah...I don't think we should go on it anymore."

"You're not gonna ask Natsu?"

"Trust me, he doesn't wanna go on it either..."

"Okay, I'll get right on it." After a while at the guild, Lucy decided it was getting late and started to head home. Thinking about the day, Lucy drifted off into a sad slumber.

"Lucy." Lucy slightly stirred in her sleep.

"Lucy!" Lucy remained asleep.

"LUCY!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" Came Lucy's reaction the rude awakening. "Natsu? What are you even doing here?"

"I came to get you! We'll be late for the job if you don't hurry!"

"Oh right...about the job, I canceled it."

"What?! Why?"

"It didn't feel right making you go on a job you didn't like. We are partners right? We're supposed to think about each other."

A blush coated Natsu's cheeks. Why would she had done something like that for him? Was he really that special to her? Was she special to him? He couldn't be sure.

"I've got it!" Natsu blurted out spontaneously

"Huh?"

"Lucy, don't come to the guild today, okay?"

"Uh...sure?" Natsu jumped out of his usual exit and entrance. As he to the guild to inform his guild mates of his plan, he thought about what Lucy's reaction would be. His heart fluttered at the thought of her happy smile and her soft laughter. His cheeks warmed as he pictured the light in her eyes shining with her smile. Oh he just couldn't wait until tomorrow!

The next day arrived quickly, and Lucy couldn't wait to get started. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, and prepared a breakfast herself and Natsu. Noticing that Natsu wasn't coming down for food, Lucy went to wake him up.

"Natsu...wake up...?" Lucy tore the blankets off the empty bed. "Where's Natsu?" She asked herself. He normally woke up before. And if he didn't, the smell of breakfast surely woke him. What was going on? Growing worried, Lucy decided to pick up the pace a bit and hurry routine a bit so she could get to the guild faster.

Just as Lucy reached up to open the door, she was roughly snatched by Cana and Levy.

"Cana? Levy? What's going on?" Lucy asked confused by their hast.

"Hurry and put this on!" Levy said holding up a lovely ball gown. The base was blood red, and sewn from what seemed like a very fine silk. The trailing and sash were a bright golden color that greatly complemented her style.

"Wow" Lucy breathed.

"I'll get your top!" Cana offered, groping her...

"I think I got it Cana!" Lucy shewed her away. Lucy changed into the gown and the two girls pushed her inside.

"Wow" Lucy repeated. The guild was amazing! The tables, they had table-cloths! And the golden streamers completely lit up the room! Along with the new wallpaper and sliver-ware. They even made room for a dance floor! What happened?

"What on Earthland is going on?" Then something caught her eye...A banner that said: **_Heartfilia_**_** Ball**_

"Lucy,"

"Natsu? You did this?" Natsu nodded yes.

"Oh Natsu," Lucy flushed red as her eyes whelmed up with tears.

"Lucy...will you, uh...um, do you wanna-I mean...umm" Natsu struggled to find his words. He wanted this to be perfect for Lucy. This was her special ball, and now he can give her back something she thought she had lost. He didn't to mess this up because he didn't know how to ask her to dance.

"You want to go dance?" Lucy laughed.

"Yeah!" Natsu took her hand in his and wrapped his arm around her waist just as she told him. Sometimes he really liked these slow moments. He was really able to take in all the special things he loved about her. Her smile, eyes, laugh, kindness, her scent even! It was in that moment, that he realized something...

He was in love with Lucy Heartfilia. She was kind and fateful. She truly loved her friends, and if there were anyone more loyal than himself, it was her. He was constantly thinking of ways to make her happy, and always wondering what she thought of him. But now there's only one way to find out how she feels.

"Lucy," Natsu started with a shaky voice.

"Yes Natsu?" Lucy answered gracefully, still entranced by the music.

"Lucy...I love you..." Natsu blurted out, looking away from her.

"W-what?" _'Did Natsu just say what I think he said?' _Lucy thought. "You mean like, nakama?"

"No! I mean that I _love _you. I wanna make you happy, and kiss you and hold you like this every day for the rest of my life. I love you." Natsu didn't know where all his words were coming from, but he knew they were true as soon as he spoke them.

Lucy however didn't know what to think. Weren't they supposed to be friends? People can't fall in love with their friends! And what if Mira had put him up to this? She would never be able to talk to him again! She took his cheeks in her hands and looked deep into his eyes. They were full of seriousness and truth. She knew she had to stop denying how she felt and be as truthful as he had been to her.

"Natsu, I love you too..." The biggest and brightest smile spread across Natsu's face. She loved him back! Natsu cupped Lucy's face with his hand and kissed her gently. He didn't want her first kiss to be aggressive or rough...he wanted to show her that he could be a gentleman for her sake. He inhaled her scent as he was overwhelmed by her taste. She was sweeter than any treat he had ever tasted. Natsu found himself grateful for the job Lucy picked. Had she not chosen that one, he never would have known about the Heartfilia Ball, and he never would have realized that he loved her,and he never would have know that Lucy felt the same way.

"I guess it wasn't a stupid job after all..."


End file.
